WHITEMARSH — Investigators are looking into the cause of a fire that began in the garage on the 300 block of Stenton Avenue and spread to the roof of the residence on Sunday afternoon.

The blaze was first called in at 3:13 p.m. and the first units arrived on the scene approximately four minutes later, according to Fire Marshal Scott Lynch.

By the time crews got the fire under control, it had travelled from the second floor of the garage and onto the cedar-shingled roof of the semi-attached residence, and completely engulfed three vehicles stored in the garage.

Approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the blaze, the homeowners left the residence and had to be alerted about the fire by neighbors.

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Although the homeowners had not been home at the time of the fire, one of the residents told Lynch that he had been “in and out” of the garage several times throughout the day but did not notice any suspicious odors or anything during that time.

The fire was extinguished by 4 p.m., at which point an investigation into the cause of the blaze began. However, due to limited daylight, Lynch expected the investigation to carry on through Monday, although he was hopeful to determine the cause by Monday afternoon.